There is hereby established on the books of the Treasury a fund to be known as the “Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund” (in this subchapter referred to as the “compensation fund”).

The compensation fund shall consist of the following amounts:

(1) Amounts appropriated to the compensation fund pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in section 7384g(b) of this title.

(2) Amounts transferred to the compensation fund under subsection (c).

Upon the exhaustion of amounts in the compensation fund attributable to the authorization of appropriations in section 7384g(b) of this title, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer directly to the compensation fund from the General Fund of the Treasury, without further appropriation, such amounts as are further necessary to carry out the compensation program.

Subject to subsection (e), amounts in the compensation fund shall be used to carry out the compensation program.

No cost incurred in carrying out the compensation program, or in administering the compensation fund, shall be paid from the compensation fund or set off against or otherwise deducted from any payment to any individual under the compensation program.

Amounts in the compensation fund shall be invested in accordance with section 9702 of title 31, and any interest on, and proceeds from, any such investment shall be credited to and become a part of the compensation fund.

(Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [div. C, title XXXVI, § 3612], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–497.)